The Game

Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists

Hidden somewhere, in nearly every major city in the world, is an underground seduction lair. And in these lairs, men trade the most devastatingly effective techniques ever invented to charm women. This is not fiction. These men really exist. They live together in houses known as Projects. And Neil Strauss, the bestselling author, spent two years living among them, using the pseudonym Style to protect his real-life identity. The result is one of the most explosive and controversial books of the year -- guaranteed to change the lives of men and transform the way women understand the opposite sex forever.

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You can learn a couple things from this book; however, most of it is common sense and as others have stated the characters are incredibly uninteresting. The author attempts to do his best Hunter S. Thompson Gonzo style, but the writing is painfully unfunny and below average. Surely there are better sources of information out there than this.

Ugh, this book was so painful. I genuinely disliked all the characters and the content. It's trash and definitely sticks out as a candidate for the first book that I'd rather use to wipe my ass. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, in case it wasn't clear.

A bible, literally, for the promiscuous looking to be even more promiscuous (thank goodness for alcohol they must think, otherwise how would these people hook up?). But then sex is not intended to fulfill you intellectually, nor does a book like this do that I realized in the first couple of pages. Not my cup of tea, obviously, so I "threw it back".

My review is based on the belief that the entire story is true. That said, it is not really much of a stretch for me to believe that it is true given my life experience as a "nice guy" (or "AFC" as per the book's terminology).

The biggest impact the book has had on me is to realize that it is not wrong for a guy to want to or try to be alpha. I have also realized that noggin g& picking-up women is not really a bad thing coz for it to happen it needs the overt or tacit consent from the woman. So guys done need to act "gentlemanly" unnecessarily. If you do some other jerk is gonna walk away with the woman you fancy... its just as simple as that.

Most people only look at this book from a moral point of view, i.e. their judgement on whether "picking up" women is right or wrong. Moreover, it is generally the women who feel that "picking up" women at bars & clubs is wrong. Guys, for the most part, tacitly seem to accept the reality - which is that in most cases the loudest and possibly the guy with better natural looks (AMOG: Alpha Male of the Group) typically gets his pick of women. I find this to be in sharp contrast with what women claim to like in a man - decency,politeness & even sense of humor. I wonder if the "10"-type women are actually aware of this contrast (and are just trying to be politically correct) or whether they actually live their lives with this lie... I guess I will never know.

In this situation, I do not believe that PUAs are actually "wrong" to go out and do their thing.

If you must take any learning from this story, it is:

a) realize that if a person - any person - truly commits to a particular goal it is only a matter of time before it is achieved.

b) the pick-up artist lifestyle is only attractive up to a certain point. Sooner or later you will want stability & recognition as well as a "day job" to support yourself - Always remember that and don't let sex be your only pursuit in life

As a woman I found this book very interesting. Parts of this book are hard to believe however; for instance, that these methods work on ALL women (even ones in relationships). I think this book was meant to be more of a personal story of Neil Strauss and the bittersweet relationship he develops between himself and his own alter ego, "Style" than a "how to" book on picking up women. I can see how many of these tactics were devised and the psychology behind them and can appreciate the effort put forth by these men to overcome their own personal insecurities to pick up women. I think it could be a great influence for insecure men as well as a precautionary tale for those out there "sarging" as they call it. Overall an interesting rainy weekend read for men or women.

rstucke35
Jan 21, 2013

This book is good not great. If you are looking for exact secrets and methods to pick up chics, look elsewhere (mystery method & the internet). And this book isn't filled with immense amounts of sexual debauchery either.

This book is basically the summary of the evolving life of the writer as he becomes a pickup artist and the drama that unfolds in the culture as it grows. While entertaining it is (teenage-like) drama filled and overall lacks the content that one would hope. The book is amusing in general, and well written. I enjoyed the short chapters.

jesseboyd
Apr 21, 2012

This book is entertaining and yet a horrible example of male behavior and not at all a proper way to meet a girl. Lying and playing games is just plain silly. When I see guys trying this, I just have to laugh. If you like pickup check out "the Day Game" or "the Art of Charm" podcasts.

Quotes

I got Lasik surgery, shedding my nerdy glasses once and for all. I paid to get my teeth laser-whitened. And I joined a gym and took up surfing, which was not only a cardiovascular workout but also a way to get tan.